Hair Oil Companies Navaratna and Parachute Signed with Dhanush for brand promotion

         Dhanush must be the most fair-haired boy in the country. Days after Emami signed an in-film placement deal for its Navratna hair oil in the Tamil actor-producer's upcoming film '3' that will feature the viral hit "Why this kolaveri di", rival Marico has roped in the soup boy to endorse its Parachute Advansed hair oil.

Both the companies say it's just a coincidence and that the actor's deal with the rival brand will not clash with their own interest. Confirming the deal with Dhanush, Marico Ltd Marketing Head Sameer Satpathy said his company's association with the "kolaveri di" singer-lyricist is a broader one compared to an in-film product placement, which has a shorter life span.

"We will structure a robust market campaign to leverage the brand ambassador's resonance with our target audience," he said. Dhanush, a well-known Tamil actor and son-in-law of superstar Rajinikanth, shot into international prominence recently following the YouTube release of "kolaveri di" in November, which became one of the biggest international viral hits within weeks. 

It is expected that Marico, which has more than 23% share in the Rs 3,000-crore hair oil market in the country, will use Dhanush to promote Parachute Advansed Cooling Oil. This brand directly challenges Emami's Navratna, which dominates the Rs 700-crore cooling hair oil segment with more than half the market share.

Marico has been trying to make a mark in this segment with Parachute brand since the last two years now. Reacting to Marico's deal with Dhanush, Emami Ltd CEO Krishna Mohan said, "Whether any brand will succeed in increasing its market share by roping in Dhanush will depend on how the brand plays the game and how we make our moves." He added, "We have always won all the rounds of battle against our rivals and will continue to do so." While Mohan exudes confidence, marketing experts like Future Brands CEO Santosh Desai feel it's Marico that stands to gain more from Dhanush. "The whole kolaveri di thing has run its course and might not create the ripple effect all over again. Hence Marico stands to gain more as it's a long-term commitment with the actor himself," said Desai. 

Since its viral release on November 16 last year, 'Kolaveri di' has been watched more than 42 million times on YouTube, over 2.5 million mobile phone users have downloaded it as ring tone and some 3.5 million people have downloaded it. Emami expects the movie version of the song to be equally popular. 

3 : film

"The song is particularly conceptualised in the movie to showcase Dhanush's heartbreak for Shruti Hassan, the film's leading lady. In such a situation, Navratna Oil, being a stress and tension reliever, with its cooling quotient, was a perfect fit in this song," said Mohan.

3  : film

The Rs 450-crore Navratna oil brand is already endorsed by leading South Indian actors such as Suriya, Junior NTR, Chiranjeevi and Mahesh Babu.